Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 561 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to coordinate and develop family caregiver support services statewide by authorizing the executive office on aging to establish a family caregiver services coordinator.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the measure from the American Association of Retired People Hawaii, ILWU Local 142, Kokua Council, Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs, and one individual.

Your Committee finds that families, not institutions, are the primary providers of long-term care for older adults in Hawaii. The Executive Office on Aging is responsible for Hawaii's long-term care strategy, and needs to establish a family caregiver services coordinator to coordinate a comprehensive, statewide system of caregiver support services. Your Committee believes that this measure will help ensure that older adults remain at home with their families, both as a matter of values and as a matter of economics to control long-term care costs, particularly for institutional care.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 561 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.